User blog:EarthlingnAkumi/The Pro Ana Community
Today I'd like to talk about the Pro Ana community. I'd like to show you about how the community is not something you should find yourself turning to. If you or a loved one is suffering with an eating disorder, please call the NEDA: 1–800–931–2237 What is "Pro Ana"? Pro Ana is a term used for Pro-Anorexia. These people are for anorexia and encourage each other to become anorexic. The Tumblr and Instagram communities are slowly thriving with people who want to reach their ugw, or Ultimate Goal Weight. I'm not saying these people are bad, however - while you're in an eating disorder, your mind is in a toxic place. Those with eating disorders can not think straight. So, what do these people do? Well, in these communities, there's a couple things they do: * Thinspo/Meanspo - Thinspo and Meanspo are short for "Thinspiration" and "Meanspiration" respectively, taking the -spiration from the word "Inspiration". They are meant to "inspire" others to work on getting their UGW. Thinspo is usually saying stuff like "I starve myself because I deserve it.", whereas Meanspo is where people insult others because they believe it will help them. Example: "By binge eating, you're fat. If you eat normally, you are disgusting." Keep in mind this is a normal mindset that people in the pro ana community have. * Images of themselves - One thing I noticed while going through the pro ana hashtag on tumblr was that majority of it is people taking pictures of themselves and posting it under the #proana hashtag. Why is this relevant? Well, I mention this because I feel as if it is a key part of the Pro Ana community. They're trying to inspire others by showing how much they've achieved by starving themselves. In the end, none of them are truly toxic people, they're only trying to help each other. But what they don't understand is that they are on a road to death. What's so bad about Anorexia, anyway? if you actually asked that--'' Anorexia is a form of eating disorder in which you do not eat or eat very little during an extended period of time. It is different from fasting because it is not done for religious or health reasons. Starving yourself kills you, and Anorexia and other eating disorders are one of the leading causes of death. Why do people turn to Anorexia? For a variety of reasons. Usually they have a low self image or esteem due to an already existing mental disorder (ie; depression, anxiety, etc.). So they begin to starve themselves due to the growing mindset that their body is not good enough. Why do people go to Pro Ana communities in the first place? Nobody (unless you are in the community, that is) really knows why. I personally think they do it because they want reassurance that what they're doing '''is okay'. They want to find people that struggle with the same thing. What can I do to get help if I have Anorexia? If you have anorexia, or any other eating disorder, instead of joining a community like pro ana, here are some helpful phone numbers/websites: * 1-800-273-8255 - NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE :* Online Chat * National eating disorder helpline * [https://www.google.com/search?q=eating+disorder+help See More] Category:Blog posts